All Forum Posts by: Ryan Normand

There are no legal ways around this that I know of. That said, I know for a fact there are countless unlicensed guys in Phoenix doing jobs under the table that are well over the $1,000 threshold. Just be careful if you go this route. A lot of times you get what you pay for and you don't have the same protections that you do when you use a licensed contractor. 

If they are truly experienced, you could hire then as an employee and use them as your qualifying party to get your own GC license.

Side note - there are multiple different classifications of contractor licenses in AZ, including a handyman license which I believe raises that cap from $1,000 to $5,000.

I already responded to your previous post, but I'll answer again here for anyone who's new to the conversation...

YouTube should be your first stop if you want to learn DIY. There are tutorial videos for just about everything. Personally I think Home Renovision DIY has the most comprehensive and well made content, but there are hundreds of other good channels out there too.

Once you've built up your knowledge and confidence watching videos, the best way to learn is by doing. Start with something simple like painting, then move on to more complex projects as you build skills and confidence. If you own your own home, practice there. If you rent, it's a little more difficult to practice,  but here are some options:

1) Ask your landlord if you can do little projects around the house. They might even buy materials for you if you provide the labor and do a quality job.

2) Volunteer for a local organization like Habitat for Humanity

3) Find a local GC and ask if they ever need help with jobs. Sometimes they just need an extra set of hands so if you have a good attitude they'll let you work with them even if you don't have a lot of experience. 

It's because of the retaining walls. A lot of cities will allow you to put in privacy walls/fences under 30" without a permit, but once it becomes a "retaining" wall you often have to get permits. Go back and double check the fine print on the cities website.

Even the simplest site plans need to be drawn to scale. Topography adds some complexity. I'd still ask if they'll let you hand draw them. If you really don't want to spend a lot of money, maybe just go out there with a laser level at dusk and shoot lines at 1' increments. They probably just want to make sure you're not messing up the drainage characteristics of the site (i.e. diverting a bunch of runoff into your neighbors yard or the street).

You don't want to make enemies with the city inspector,  even if they are being excessively nit picky. It could come back to haunt you later. 

Use it as an opportunity to build a relationship with them. Ask how much detail they are looking for. A basic site plan could be hand draw on a piece of graphing paper in 15 minutes. To me, that's not worth going to court over.

@Luka Jozic Would it look better if it's an exact match? Yes. Does it have to be an exact match? No.

Best case is that you find one that is the same size but not the exact same color/texture. These look like 4x4 tiles so you should be able to find something.

 Worst case is you get something slightly smaller and live with a larger grout line or get something bigger and cut it down to size with a grinder or wet saw.

None of the options above are going to look great, but I'm assuming the goal here is to fix the missing tiles cheaply and quickly without getting into a full-scale bathroom remodel.

I would only suggest trying to remove a tile if it's already noticeably loose. Tiles that are properly installed will not come off in one piece and you also risk digging yourself into a deeper hole by damaging adjacent tiles and the backerboard/drywall behind it.

But ditto on just finding an approximate match and always buying extra.

What type of systems are they marketing with these one day installs? The only systems that you can install that fast are one-piece or panelized acrylic, or some sort of refinishing of the existing tile. And like @JD Martin said, even with those acrylic systems they would still be rushing the prep work to get it done in one shift.

As to why panelized systems aren't more common? Just speculating here, but the big box stores are primarily marketing to homeowners, not flippers. Most homeowners who want a custom bathroom remodel are going to take a couple extra days and spend a little extra money to get a real tile surround installed. That's why there are rows upon rows of tile but only a couple options for panelized acrylic.

YouTube University :)

Check out Jeff Thorman from Home Renovision DIY. He has hundreds of hours of really good content on YouTube.

Yup, that's how it is in AZ, too. I'm assuming most other states have similar laws. Workers comp isn't required for single member LLCs or sole proprietorships with 0 employees. Sounds like the HOA doesn't understand this exemption.

Licensing is done at the state level, so the answer will vary depending on where you live. Every state has a department that is responsible for issuing and managing contractors licenses. In AZ it is called the Registrar of Contractors, in some other states it's called a Board of Licensing, etc. etc. This is the entity you will go through to check the status of the contractors license, file complaints, and so on. You do not need to contact bonding companies directly - if the contractors license is active that means they have met their bonding requirements. 

Side note - if you have a dispute with your contractor I highly recommend trying to work it out with them before filing a complaint with the state Licensing agency.